App Store Optimization (ASO): Improve Your App Ratings

The app store gets frequent updates such as how the ratings are displayed and where you would find them when downloading the mobile software. The developers do not have the power to change or create reviews on their apps, so the last option would be to develop direct contact with the potential users. This means that every mobile app company is aiming at improving the app name, icon, and user rating. Therefore, you will need app store optimization (ASO) to help you convince more users to download and use your apps.

Rating and Review

You will be forced to invest in online marketing to generate more traffic. However, you can still get more users by fixing your app rating. A positive app rating is usually a 4-star or a 5-star. Most developers face the difficulty of improving customer ratings, especially when a user develops a negative perception about the product. Your aim is to make immediate contact with unsatisfied users before they post any review of your product on the App store. If they reach out to you first, then they will be prompted to leave a positive review.

Some app users can be mean, especially if they are paid to post negative comments about your product. Not every mobile app company has the best interest of the competitors. In the past, it was devastating to get a negative review since there were no means of contacting the user or answering them to address their difficulty in using your app. Things have changed, the app developer can now contact the user in Apple Store and Google Play Store.

The benefit of an app support button next to the “write a review” button on iTunes is to prevent the user from posting a negative comment and leaving a 3-star rating or even worse. This button will lead them to a page where they can get answers or even contact you directly if the problem has not been addressed before.

Everyday app publishers are looking for organic tools and strategies to meet the competition in app stores. An app review made on Google play store will appear immediately, but in the apple store, it would delay for about 2 days. This delay ensures that white hat organic strategies are used since there are cases of fake reviews which tend to boost the ratings and chart ranking. The increased importance of app ratings has a major influence in the ranking algorithms.

The consumer ratings and reviews have an immediate impact on purchase decisions. It is rather difficult to identify a fake review if there is a similarity in brevity and phrasing. Many of the app users do not know the importance of these reviews to a mobile app company. Therefore, it is your responsibility to let the users know how to reach you.

Tools used to create a connection with potential users

App Description with Contact

The app description section is the right place to leave your contacts such as an email address or social media account which can be used effectively when need arises. You can also share your custom application development services to attract more visitors who need custom services.

App Website or Landing Page

This is a website built on the basis of providing support. The website can be used as a marketing tool to describe fully how your app operates. Your contact should also be visible on this platform.

Use of Review Bars in Your Website

This too will invite your website visitors to provide feedback. The Tapstream’s tool will determine whether the visitor is suitable to leave a rating in the app store and if they provide a negative rating on the website they will be prompted to send a direct message to you.

Increasing App Interactions

This can be done by:

Posting your contacts in a way that users can easily reach you for answers pertaining to bugs and difficulties in operating your app.

Allowing users to share their experience with friends and loved ones through social media platforms like Facebook and twitter. Share buttons are the most appropriate tools to use.

Using tools or apps that have SDKs that allow you to get good feedback, gather information and initiate dialogs with potential users. These feedback buttons pop up to determine if the user like your app if they do then they are directed to the app store.

Using tools like Appboy that monitor app usage through surveys and send you diagnostic information that will let you understand the consumer behavior; it will also help you determine if your marketing campaigns or strategies are efficient.

Action Towards Response

Now that you have your user’s attention, you should develop a way of addressing their issues with the promptness that they deserve. Listen to them when they describe their problems, and in any case, if the process would take long, it is fair to keep them posted on the updates that you have made.

You should also be able to invite them to your app development studio if the problem requires extra attention. You might find other developers as users, but some might be fascinated by your idea and chose to he you create a good impression- but this is rare. If the user is satisfied with your solution, you should take the initiative of asking them to leave a review.

When you are asking for reviews and ratings you should be smart about it. Use tools with a good timing when sending a review request. The most appropriate time is when the user is getting total satisfaction or has accomplished something relevant. Genuine reviews can also be obtained during the uninstall process; this terminal feedback will guide you on improving your app based on their final sentiments.

You should avoid the use pop-ups which interrupt the user while interacting with the app; this will make the user see you as a beggar and might even uninstall your product. Some users might uninstall your app due to storage issues but would like to use it later, so make the install and uninstall process easy and fast. Most of the developers have the habit of incorporating a lot of functionalities in the apps, thus making them heavy and large to download. You should aim to make the app as light as possible.

It is usually unethical to post a review request that asks for only “5-star reviews”. However, this at times works for any mobile app company which has proved its worth. Some have gone to the extent of giving away promo codes or gifts in exchange for positive reviews. If you are updating your app, this is perhaps the best time to request for a review. The importance of updating the app is to make it run smoothly on modern devices which come with advanced operating systems.

Mobile software development takes time and requires modification to meet the needs of the consumers. The process also takes into account the use of app store optimization (ASO) to get it into the right market. Most of the users would like to meet the mobile app company or developers and share two or three ideas about their experience. In as much as you are improving your communication channels, you should also update your app.

The users would like to trade reviews with your app experience. You are expected to give them something in exchange for their positive review- make the app as efficient as possible or introduce some privileges (rate the app for free updates). So you can use the information provided here as part of your app store optimization (ASO), test it and you will see that it works. Organic techniques require patience and hard work to develop positive results, so stick to white hat techniques and you will receive priceless rewards.